Looking but Not Truly Seeing: Advice for Current and Future Leaders

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It is that time of year again --- to see young graduates, grinning from ear to ear, throw their mortarboard caps in the air and rush forth to change the world. Ah, commencement day. I was the valedictorian of my high school class and proudly gave the commencement address. The theme I chose was 'Look and See' from the Dick and Jane books.

To add a little context to that - when I was growing up - amongst the first books my generation read was the Dick and Jane series. Within the pages of those books, siblings Dick, Jane, and Sally, and their dog Spot, would seek adventure. The rhetoric of their adventures was always in the same format: "Look and see, Jane, look and see." Even as a small child I questioned the premise, wondering how someone could look at something and not see it.

By the time I prepared to address my high school at graduation, I realized that too many people did indeed spend their lives looking but not truly seeing. Thus I encouraged everyone to truly 'see' everything around them and cultivate an inquisitive mind, which questions, reasons and understands.

As an adult I would still give that advice to future and current leaders. However, one of the best collections of advice for leaders I have recently encountered was put forth by Carl Mays. He highlights in his weekly column a study that researched traits found in successful people, even when they had little or no formal education. The study looked at 450 successful people including Harry Truman, Walt Disney, Henry Ford and Frank Lloyd Wright, none of whom were formally educated beyond high school. I would like to share now with you the top five traits from the Carl Mays column:  

In-depth experience. The people usually worked their way from the bottom up. They immersed themselves in the specific endeavors in which they were involved. Through this experience, they became highly proficient.

Industriousness. Simply put, they worked hard. Not only did they carry their weight but they often stepped in and worked overtime for those who did not carry their own load. They were not lazy.

Perseverance. They experienced failure, rejection, disappointment and discouragement. They learned from their failure and refused to listen to others who dissuaded them. They kept on keeping on when most people would quit.

Self-disciplined study. They learned as much as they could about the work they were doing. They kept on the cutting edge of what was happening in their areas of interest and often sharpened the cutting edge.

Curiosity. They constantly questioned why something would or would not work. They experimented with various ideas and methods. They built on the questions they asked themselves and others.

Excerpt reprinted from http://www.carlmays.com/. Visit the Web site to request his free weekly column.